Neutral (well, mostly) California Nursery + Shop The Look

It’s time for yet another e-design reveal and this time we have after photos to show you.  Our lovely client Sophie and her husband, were expecting their second baby and contacted us to help them with a few rooms in their house – one being their new nursery.

The room itself is a really interesting shape with lots of cute moulding details and gets a ton of natural light, which was a great base for us to work with.  They had already painted the walls in Benjamin Moore’s Gray Owl which is an EHD fave.

The brief from Sophie was very simple indeed: A neutral nursery.  I actually had a conversation with her to find out a bit more and she sent over a few tips for what they were looking for furniture-wise.

– We have a cute white crib that is circular and can change from small to large 

– We have a changing table top that can go on a new dresser 

– I would like to get a new dresser, a new glider (not a rocking chair), bedding, a small book shelf, lamp, art work, and accessories

– Do not need window treatments – there are pretty white shutters in this room 

– The room is painted Gray Owl (Benjamin Moore) 

– Hot pink, I love hot pink.

Our designer Ali got to work on it and came up with two different schemes using a fairly neutral palette and brought in pops of color through the use of accessories.

Ali laid everything out on a plan to show Sophie where things should be placed. I thought it looked great and Emily checked it over and said “You ladies are good”. We moved forward.

3 Brass Mirrors | Kyra Pink Pillow | Suzani Lumbar Pillow | Woodblock Navy Pillow | Argington Organic Crib | Hanging Mobile | Crib Sheet | Tall White Bookshelf | Hamper Basket | Small Bookshelf (no longer available) | Delany Rug | Kantha Quilt | Hot Pink Heart Print | Marbled Wake Print | Grace Painted Print | Macrame Wall Hanging (no longer available) | Ocean Currents Abstract Print | Flamingo Art Print | Changing Cover | Madison Swivel Glider | Brass Floor Lamp | White Trim Dresser | Pom Pom Basket | Gold Pouf

Below is what we sent over to Sophie when we issued the initial presentation of both options:

For the first option, we opted for a neutral rug. This rug creates an overall calm and serene vibe, is versatile enough to be used anywhere in your home and is a more affordable option. We love the colors in the second rug. This option is a bit more unique and brings more color into the room, creating a focal point for the room. Both are beautiful options. As far as size goes, an 8’x10’ rug would fit the room better. However, the door swinging  into the room and both rugs being thicker options, we might suggest a 5’x7’ size as being more functional for this space. With a white crib and larger white bookcase, we wanted to bring more warmth to the space, therefore we opted for this white trim dresser. Two different neutral gliders both fit within your budget and would work well in either space. To bring in the mid century, glam, and boho look you like, we selected a mix of textures and patterns throughout the space. The gold pouf, brass mirrors, and brass lamp are an example of this and help bring a bit of glam to the space.

3 Brass Mirrors | White Mudcloth Pillow (no longer available) | Diamond Weave Pillow | Argington Organic Crib | Hanging Mobile | Wild and Free Landscape Print | Crib Sheet | Tall White Bookcase | Hamper Basket | Small Bookshelf (no longer available) | Kantha Quilt | Macrame Wall Hanging (no longer available) | Double Diamond Rug | Horse Art Print | Changing Cover | Let’s Get Lost Print | Blue Cactus Print | Gold Pouf | Bento Glider | White Trim Dresser | Brass Floor Lamp

Because of the size of your room, we selected two different bookcases. The smaller rattan one is more unique and brings a natural element to the space. We placed it in the nook across from the glider because we think it would be nice to stock with books and would be easily accessible from the glider. The larger white one could be placed on the wall with the door next to the hamper basket and could be stocked with accessories, toys or storage baskets. As far as art goes, we selected a few options. Two of the four walls have windows, which don’t leave a lot of room for art. The third wall contains the tall white bookcase, but we suggest placing the three brass mirrors on this wall above the hamper basket. We know some people don’t like to put art above a changing table dresser therefore we love the idea of a cool macrame wall hanging. If you do decide on art in that area, you could do a small gallery wall (seen in option 1) or a large scale art piece (seen in option 2). Many of the art pieces could also be placed over the glider.

We know you love hot pink and for both options we worked to bring in pops of pink throughout. We love the idea of mixing patterns while still keeping within a color scheme, and thought you could achieve this look of pattern mixing through the use of pillows, crib sheets, and a colorful kantha baby quilt. To complete the space, we selected this stars and cloud mobile which works well in either space and brings a bit of metallic and whimsy to the space.

Overall Sophie loved the scheme but did have a few items she wanted changing out:

I’ve had some time to think about the nursery and I really do love it! I am definitely going to go with the second style… The only items I would like to ask about are the following:

1. I would like to see another glider that is higher end – maybe a monte? have you guys had any good experience with one?

2. Could i see another crib sheet option? I actually have that sheet on my 2 year olds bed 😉 

3. I did some research and have found that some people have a hard time with their backs when they use a dresser and changing top instead of a proper changing table – could you provide an option for a changing table?

1. Como Glider | 2. Luca Glider | 3. Milo Glider (similar) | 4. Sparrow Glider | 5. Toby Glider

Glider – We picked some higher end options for you in off white and white colors to keep things light and airy. We also tried to select a few with some nice details such as the walnut or rose gold bottom. We recently used the rose gold glider in a project for Sara Sugarman and it is beautiful in person.  Sadly, since we sent this presentation over the copper base glider has gone out of stock.

1. Scout Side Table (no longer available) | 2. Modern Spindle Side Table |  3. Snow Capped Side Table | 4. Tropical Teak Side Table

Accent tables – We selected a few pieces that are simple and would complement the glider options we selected above.

Changing Table
1. Summer Infant Changer | 2. Jenny Lind Changing Table | 3. Change It Up Changing Table | 4. Babyletto Lolly Changer | 5. Peek-a-Boo Changing Table | 6. Ava Changing Top Dresser

Changing tables – The optimum height for a changing table is 32”-42” depending on your height, but we made sure all of these tables are above 35″. If you do choose to use a changing table you could replace either of the bookcases and put the changing table in its place (they should all fit on the floor plan). And for the tables with open shelving, we recommend woven baskets for storage and to help bring in more warmth to the space. 

Crib Sheets

1. Star System Crib Sheet | 2. Jenni Kanye Crib Sheet | 3. Mod Botanical Crib Sheet | 4. Dots Crib Sheet

Crib sheets – We like the idea of sticking with a subtle pattern because it mixes well with the other patterns in the room and the rug makes such a statement. 

Following this Sophie sent us the sweetest message back:

Ali I don’t know you but I love you bc you guys have created my DREAM nursery – thank you to the moon and back:) I’m SO happy!!!

And since that sweet note we got, Sophie has ordered and installed everything, had her baby Penelope, AND even had the space photographed so we could blog about it.

The room turned out super cute and we love how the light woods and whites work with the pops of colour and gold tones.

Sophie stuck with the original dresser that we proposed and we actually think this works the best.  The light wood brings a nice warmth to the space whilst the rounded edges and white accents keep it feeling young and fresh.

(Hey guys, Emily jumping in here: I have both a dresser with a changing table top and a proper higher changing table and I much prefer the lower bigger dresser. It might be because I’m used to it, or because Charlie is so heavy that the idea of lugging him onto the higher changing table seems both physically impossible and dangerous as he might crush it. Although I’m pretty sure that he should be closer to potty trained by now … point is – they both work, but I personally like the lower option, myself).

We love the crib Sophie chose, the soft organic edges and legs are a great added detail.  The rug works really well in here and pops off the neutral colour carpet.

And here’s the very cute Penelope and her big sister Amelie. Oh geez. This is insanely cute.

The feather mobile was made by Sophie’s friend Becky who did the flowers for the shoot. Nice job, Becky. This flowers and that feather mobile are amazing.

Instead of the tall white bookcase we had suggested, Sophie picked this really fun one from Oeuf which works great in here and brings in more of that neutral wood/white element into the room.

Sophie styled out the shelves herself with a few hints from us and she did a really great job, they look super cute. You are making us look really good over here.

It’s so exciting to see how things turn out when they are done from an e-design and this project didn’t disappoint. It is neutral, sure, but full of style, function and of course happiness.

And you can’t beat a cute baby shot. A very, very, very cute baby shot.

We have two more e-designs that we did for Sophie which we’ll be posting about soon (sadly no after photos with those though) … unless we can bully her into finishing them quickly so that they can be shot. But hey, she has two small kids so we  know that her first priority isn’t exactly decorating their house.

Congrats on your room, and most importantly your new baby. Hopefully you are sleeping more than Emily tells us she is 🙂

Interested in having us help you out with a room layout or full redesign? Visit our services page for more details.

*Design boards by Ali Henrie for EHD with design direction by Ginny Macdonald, overseen by Emily Henderson. Post written by Ginny (with a few additions by EH). 

**After photos by Elizabeth Hurley Photography 

***Flowers by Mums Floral Design